Mrs. deVaux’s Emphasizes Teamwork

Kayleigh Rienas ’21: Transitioning into the academy model, Romeo adapts a style unlike many other schools in the state. For the 2018 school year, the freshman experience the 9th Grade Academy, providing an emphasis on teamwork between students and strong collaboration between teachers.

“Since the same teachers concentrate on a smaller group of the same students, and all of the classrooms are geographically close, it gives us the opportunity to really focus on the individuals,” Mrs. deVaux said. “Together, we discover the most efficient ways to provide these groups of students with the resources they need to be successful.”

When a student falls behind due to academic rigor or experiences personal struggles both in or out of school, these teachers give them the support they need. Due to the small learning communities, it becomes easier for the teachers to get to know students; therefore, they have the ability to detect when something is off. Through collaboration between teachers, they create a specific plan for the student to get them back on the track towards success.

To ease the students into school, the first weeks consisted of essential team building and friendly competitions – but these weren’t just for fun.

“The activities we do instill a sense of family within the students, which makes the transition into high school so much easier,” Mrs. deVaux said. “As well as that, adding a fun aspect to learning encourages kids to show up – we expect to see an increase in attendance.”

When students show up to school, have a strengthened desire to learn, and have a strengthened support system provided by their teachers, their success can only go one direction – up!